Page 53 of Play With Me

“Not all of the time? I’m a little hurt,” I teased.

“The rest of the time, when I’m not teasing, I’ll be fucking.”

Oh!

That did it. He could have taken me right up against that wall at the side of the house or bent me over the porch railing, and I would have obliged without a care in the world as to who was watching. I was serious about finding Xavier Black, and I would, but if I could find a way to include Brook’sfuck me in the wildidea in the process, well, who was I to argue? It had been months since I’d had sex and my libido was definitely calling out to me. We may still have had our issues which I wanted to avoid discussing and Brook would want to discuss, but if he just could take care of all that pressure and stress that seemed to have collected in one area below my belt, I wouldn’t have minded at all. Maybe this trip was exactly what I needed. After all, we’d be two lonely souls stuck all on our own up somewhere in the Michigan forest. Those hills and valleys would soon see action like they’d never seen before.

Michigan.

The thought that we’d be so close to the accident site made me a little sick to my stomach, but when I heard a giggle, I pulled my swollen lips away from Brook’s, and my attention was drawn toward the tomboy who played princess in front of her mother.

“So, Jax’s ex doesn’t seem like someone I’d like to get to know. Princesses? Tea parties? Why would he ever let his ex control his daughter so much? That’s obviously not her.” I pointed to where Jax was having a spitting contest with Sophie.

“It’s easier to not argue with Evie’s point of view because she’s… unique. You can’t win, and even if you think you’re right, she’ll make it sound like you’re wrong. From time to time, Sophie dresses to please her mother, and I don’t see any harm in that. She’s her own person, and a little bit more pink in her life won’t change who she is. This way Evie stays out of their lives, you know. What she doesn’t know in the meantime won’t hurt her.”

What kind of a name was Evie anyways? It sounded like something Satan would make up to lure sinners.

We heard Sophie protest with more giggles as Jax tickled her.

“And she agreed to let him raise Sophie on his own? Don’t get me wrong – he seems like a great father.”

“You’re right. Jax is a great father but he would never share Sophie with anyone. She’s his.” Brook’s tone was firm. He seemed to be very protective of his niece. I saw the love he had for Sophie in his eyes. The look was so intense that I didn’t quite understand how someone who wasn’t a parent could have so much of that kind of love. I’d never know it or understand it myself, because I never had any siblings and would never have a niece or a nephew. I’d never quite understand it because I would never have a child of my own, either. I couldn’t go through that pain again. My heart drummed in my chest with an argument.

“She’s being lied to. There’s nothing that can make a girl stronger than believing in herself. She’s pretending to be someone she’s not.”

“It’s no different than pretending to be a hairdresser or a priest. Or anyone else you need to be for your job. Whatever makes sense for life to work, you know?”

“That’s sad. It’s stealing her individuality and her carefree childhood years. She’s a free spirit. She should be allowed to do whatever she wants to.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. She’s a child. She needs rules and guidance but experiencing life from a different perspective is making her stronger, and it completely captures who she is. She’s perfect at being someone else. Sophie chooses to do what she does. It’s her free will. No one’s forcing her to wear a dress or go to the tea parties. She can object any time.”

“You’re oblivious to the fact that she’s seven.”

“Almost eight.”

“Fine, almost eight. Of course she’s going to listen to the adults and oblige. She’s a child, and she trusts Jax. Who else is she supposed to look up to? There’s no way pretending for the sake of her mother can be healthy for her.”

“Well, drinking water straight out of the garden hose wasn’t healthy either, but I can guarantee that it made me a better man.”

I sighed. It seemed that we shared different views on raising children. If she were mine…

Don’t go there, Lola…my internal voice warned.

What if Brook was right, though? He had more experience with his niece than I had with any child. My attention was drawn to the wicker love seat where Sophie sat on her grandfather’s lap, listening to him explain something, watching his finger travel on paper from one end to the other.

“Okay, I don’t know how you’re drawing that conclusion, but I won’t argue. Honestly, I’m tired of arguing.”

“Me too, and that’s one of the reasons I think we should take the truck up to Michigan. It will give us time to catch up on life. It will give us time to catch up on us.”

I stilled.

“What’s the matter? Would you rather fly?”

I shook my head. “No, I’d like to avoid an airplane if we can. It just hit me that it’s Michigan.”

“Something wrong with Michigan?

“No, of course not. Although the forests there are known for illegal moonshining.”

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